Thursday, July 24, 2008

I received an interesting email today from someone who took exception to my column in the Sun Media today.

It's the column where I poke some fun at the fact that the Canada Council for the Arts gave a $50,000 grant to an artist creating a giant flying banana.

Anyway, here's an excerpt from the complainer's message:

"Canada Council grants for art are always juried by a well regarded jury of artists. You can choose to call it a 'flying banana', but do you believe that you know more about art than the jury? On what basis? If you believe the answer to this is 'no', then you have to admit that you're missing the artistic intent of the piece...... if it's an issue of 'bang for buck' I will alert you to any one of the numerous studies put forth on the cultural industries. As a multi-billion dollar industry in this country, for every $1 put towards artistic ventures, the government revenues $1.6 back. How? When an artist receives funds, they often hire crew and designers, pay for materials and travel, and of course, are taxed back on it."Here's my reply:

"Thanks for your insightful comments. And yes, I freely admit that I am a TV-watching, french fry-eating, cultural barbarian who does not see the "artistic merit" of a giant flying banana. However, my artistic sensibilities (or lack thereof) are not the issue. What is the issue, is that it's wrong and undemocratic to give a bunch a self-appointed, elitist, snobbish culturecrats the power to make artistic decisions on my behalf. And your argument about the revenue generated from government pouring money into art doesn't cut much ice. If the government money that went to art, were instead invested by the private sector in non-flying banana-related ventures, the rate of return for the economy would certainly be much higher. So you see, giving my money to create a flying banana isn't a good idea no matter how you peel it."****Oh by the way, in case you don't believe the story about the giant flying banana, check out this website.

John Williamson, the federal director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, has an excellent piece in the National Post today pointing out just how bad the Conservative government has been when it comes to spending.

How bad?

Writes Williamson: "The Conservatives have controlled the government purse strings since early 2006; After their first two years, Ottawa had grown another 14.8%. This is higher than Mr. Martin's appalling record."

Oh and remember how the bad, old Liberals used to funnel tax dollars into ridings as a way of bribing voters.

Well. says Williamson, the Tories are doing the same thing:

"For example, Ottawa confirmed that Quebec-based Bombardier will receive$350-million to build a plane with no confirmed buyers. Nova Scotia, the lone Maritime battleground province, will receive an additional $867-million in energy royalties."

Sunday, July 20, 2008

His name was Bob Bexonand a few days ago he was killed, aged 56, in a biking accident.

It's a sad loss.

Bob was not only a successful businessman and entrepreneur, but also a firm believer in freedom.

What I liked most about him was his insatiable intellectual curiosity. He was especially intrigued about the concepts of libertarianism.

He would always ask, "Well those libertarian ideas might sound good in theory, but how would they work in the real world?"

And to help answer that question, Bob would sponsor special "Freedom Dinners" in Montreal, to which he would invite libertarian/conservative thinkers, scholars, journalists and activists from across the country to debate and discuss the philosophy of freedom.

I was lucky enough to attend several Freedom dinners, where I met fascinating people and engaged in some of the most interesting conversations of my life.

It was always Bob's hope, that these discussions would in some way, help to spread and foster the ideas of liberty.

About Me

Gerry Nicholls is a communications consultant and writer who has been called a “political warrior” a “brilliant strategist” and one of the “canniest political observers in Canada.”
He has worked as a consultant in both the United States and Canada and was formerly a senior officer in the National Citizens Coalition.
A regular columnist with the Ottawa Hill Times, his work has also appeared in the Globe and Mail, the National Post and in the Sun Media chain; and he has appeared on countless TV and radio public affairs programs. He is the author of the book, Loyal to the Core, Harper, Me and the NCC.

Twitter Updates

Twitter Updates

Reviews for Loyal to the Core

“Loyal to the Core is a daring and provocative work. It deserves to be read by conservative activists and politicos.” – Western Standard

“This is a very important book.” -- Michael Coren, TV host

“A fascinating read” --- Seamus O'Regan, Canada AM

“I really enjoyed Loyal to the Core. It’s a great book”, - Charles Adler, radio host.

"Loyal to the Core should be required reading for anyone considering or starting a career at a conservative think tank or in electoral politics in general …Consider Loyal to the Core a cautionary tale that’s also a funny, easy read – with a few highly “stealable” ideas for media campaigns thrown in for good measure.”- Kathy Shaidle, author Tyranny of Nice

“Every Canadian remotely interested in politics and the state of the country should have a read of Loyal to the Core. – blogger Wendy Sullivan

"It’s rare to find a politico, however, who is equally passionate about policy and strategy, but columnist, pundit, author and Western Standard blogger Gerry Nicholls is such a person." Matthew Johnson, owner Western Standard

"If you are a conservative who wonders how conservatives can communicate their message in a hostile media climate, Loyal to the Core is a must read." -- At Home in Hespeler